Warped: Sugar-Sweet Mansion of Misery
by animatedrose
Summary: A trip to a strange mansion leads Vanellope and the Sugar Rush racers on a life-or-death struggle against a bloodthirsty Turbug. With no escape and a clock that can reverse time, Vanellope vows to escape the mansion with everyone alive. Sadly, that's easier said than done... How many rewinds will she need before freedom is in reach? OCs accepted via forum submission, NO EXCEPTIONS


A majority of these, if not all of them, take place in a dark AU crossover between Sugar Rush and Ao Oni. References to Heta Oni include the turning-back-time bit, though. Bits of Corpse Party might also be implemented for the darker drabbles. Mostly to explain why all the horrible stuff in these sad drabbles can occur.

There will be normal cuteness in here, too. Bunches of dark stuff but a few purely cute drabbles may be found here. Might be few and far in-between but they will exist. I swear, they will.

Many of these drabbles may include pairings of any and all kinds. There are also plenty of my own OCs present in here. Anyone in my Sugar Rush forum who wants their character(s) included in this can request to role-play that particular drabble out with me in the forum, if desired. Same can be done for any other Sugar Rush OC that might want in on this.

Not sure why anyone would want in on this misery but maybe in on the generally cute drabbles…?

Anyhow, if you want your OC included, DO NOT SUBMIT THEM IN YOUR REVIEW! Contact me in my forum (link is in my profile) or PM me about it. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Requests for pairings in drabbles might be considered as long as you aren't overwhelmingly demanding. There might be brief slash between same genders considering the mass amount of girls in Sugar Rush compared to boys, OCs included. NO HATE OR ELSE!

Might include the Turbo Twins if people want to see them…

And yes, the main villain is cybug King Candy/Turbo. 'Cause I just love him in that form. No idea if either one will appear normally. I have to think that one over.

Okay, enough with this ultra-long author's note! That's all you need to know! Ask questions if you don't understand something and I should answer!

Enjoy the misery and stuff!

Wreck-It Ralph: Sugar Rush

Sugar-Sweet Mansion of Misery

**Chapter ****Title:** It's My Fault  
**Pairing:** fluffy but non-romantic Vanellope x everyone (OCs included but only briefly mentioned), Torvald x Swizzle x Sticky, Taffyta x Rancis

**Warning:** dark AU, blood, gore, death, murder, suicide, a bloodthirsty and hungry cybrid  
**Summary:** I'm their president. I'm supposed to protect them. This wasn't supposed to happen. How could I have let them all…die…?

.o.o.o.o.

_How could you have failed them?_

"Shut up! I didn't… I didn't mean to!"

_You let them die._

"It was an accident! How could I have known what this place really was? That this was all…?"

_You're their president. Aren't you supposed to protect them?_

"I'm just a kid! What could I have…? Against _that_?!"

_They were just children, too. And you let them die._

"I'm sorry! I didn't…! I couldn't…!"

_It's all…your…fault!_

An ear-shattered scream tore through the mansion. The storm outside, raging and howling with all its rainy power, seemed to fall silent so that the scream could be heard. It was the most heart-wrenching sound imaginable.

But to the ears of its resident predator, it was nothing more than a dinner bell…

.o.o.o.o.

"No…"

Torvald Batterbutter was the first one they lost…

After being tricked into coming to this strange mansion, the group of sweets-themed racers were scattered by a familiar nemesis—Turbo, trapped in his giant cybug form with King Candy's face. The group had promptly scattered, much to Vanellope's horror. Sadly, the pint-sized president had no choice but to also hightail it out of the immediate area, vowing to get everyone out the front door ASAP.

Too bad they'd later discover every door was locked and all the windows were sealed shut…

It had taken a lot of crazed running around to find a handful of the other racers. Taffyta and Candlehead had begun bawling when Vanellope found them hidden away in a closet on the second floor. Gloyd had managed to squeeze himself under the stairs on the first floor, tearing away at the wooden planks until his hands were bleeding, the pumpkin-hat wearer terrified that the monstrosity might find him. Swizzle had crawled into a bathtub on the first floor, vainly hiding behind the thin shower curtain.

It was Swizzle who came upon the dying Torvald. The cybrid had cornered her in a massive library on the first floor. The poor girl hadn't stood a chance against his sharp claws…

Her dark skin was far paler than it should've been. Her shirt and jacket were splashed with crimson, the cloth barely hiding the jagged tear along her stomach. Blood dotted her yellow hair, running from the corner of her mouth. Her candy wrapper bow had come loose and lay on the floor a short distance away.

Taffyta and Candlehead hid behind a bookshelf, crying. Swizzle desperately tried to cover the wound, strangely uncaring toward all the blood he was getting on his hands and clothes. Vanellope just fell to her knees, cradling Torvald's head and crying.

"It's not…your fault," the blonde choked, a bubble of blood bursting between her words. "I wanted…to come here…"

"No! I agreed to this! I'm the president!" Vanellope argued, tears gushing down her rosy cheeks. She could feel the glitches wracking her body but paid them no mind. "I'm supposed to protect you! I'm so sorry!"

"It's oka—nngh!" Torvald choked briefly, more blood coming from her mouth. When the fit passed, she struggled to keep speaking. "I…don't…hate you… Not…your fault…"

Swizzle seemed to finally understand that she couldn't be saved. He eventually left, leaving a kiss on the dying racer's forehead before going to comfort Taffyta and Candlehead. Vanellope stayed behind, cradling Torvald's broken body close.

"Wonder if…I'll regen—guh!" Another fit came, resulting in more blood. For a moment, Torvald was still and Vanellope thought she was gone. "…Bow…"

Vanellope grabbed the fallen candy wrapped bow, placing it back on the other's head. Torvald smiled briefly.

"Tha…"

She was gone. Just like that, one of their number was taken away. Where there were fifteen originals and a handful of newly-unlocked racers, there was now only fourteen originals.

And that was only the beginning…

.o.o.o.o.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Citrusella Flugpucker was the next one to go…

Vanellope wasn't sure why the blueberry-themed racer did it or if it was even done by choice. All she knows is that Nougetsia and Sticky—both recolor racers having barricaded themselves in a bedroom on the second floor before being found—had gone to check the downstairs bathroom and reported that the tub was full of 'black water'. When they'd gone to check it out, Sticky had already pulled the plug.

And revealed a drowned Citrusella at the bottom of it…

There was no sign of a struggle. That didn't mean the cybrid hadn't drowned Citrusella. Sadly, it could mean the racer chose to take her own life.

Rancis, who they found under a bed on the second floor, and Gloyd discovered the source of the 'black water' quickly enough. The water supply in the house was polluted, causing it to run black from the tap. That stuck the racers on a time limit. They couldn't live long without water.

The other two recolor racers cried in one another's arms. Rancis led everyone out, leaving Vanellope alone with Citrusella's corpse. The president held in her tears until everyone was gone.

Then she broke down, crying into the dead racer's chest. "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! I couldn't protect you! Why? Why did I let us come here?"

She wasn't sure how long she was there, only that she was pulled away by Minty and Snowanna—found huddled together at the top of the stairs on the third floor since both doors had been locked—at some point. She forced herself to calm down and collect herself. She still had over a dozen racers to protect and they still had an angry cybrid after them. They had to get out of here…somehow.

.o.o.o.o.

"Oh mod… What does he plan to do to us?"

Crumbelina DiCaramello was the next one to go…

She was the most gruesome loss by far, definitely a step up from Torvald's slaughter. Gloyd almost thought it wasn't her until he saw the hat. Not that Vanellope blamed him for the doubt.

They only ever found Crumbelina's upper half…

Everything below her waist was gone. Vanellope didn't want to think about what might have happened. Or why. She didn't want to know.

She just wanted to get everybody home safely.

And she was failing miserably.

Crumbelina was already on death's door when Gloyd led the rest of them to her. Vanellope held her close, listening to the dying racer's choked words.

"Way out… Book… Clock…"

Crumbelina died shortly afterward, fingers dug into the president's hoodie hard enough to tear holes. Not that Vanellope minded that. The hoodie was already covered in blood from Torvald. What were a few holes compared to that?

They wouldn't find out until later that Crumbelina didn't die easily. The cybrid had a hard time catching and killing her. The child had been armed with a broken shard of mirror, later taken from her corpse by Rancis for defense. She had managed to leave her mark before her end.

.o.o.o.o.

"Why? Why did you do it?"

Nougetsia Brumblestain and Sticky Wipplesnit were the next ones to go…

They had been running from Turbo when Nougetsia died. It had been accidental. Gloyd could attest to that, having witnessed the events. Regardless, Swizzle never forgave himself.

Nougetsia had fallen down the stairs, shoved by Swizzle in a mad dash to get across the second floor.

She hadn't died immediately. Her arm had been broken in the fall and she was nearly unconscious from the impact. The pink-clothed recolor racer probably hadn't even realized that Turbo had followed her down, circling like a wolf. Hopefully she hadn't been awake to feel herself being plucked up and subsequently dropped into his fanged mouth like a piece of candy…

Vanellope struggled not to cry when Swizzle told her of Nougetsia's death. Nobody blamed the fall on him, not with Gloyd backing up him. It didn't destroy Swizzle's guilt.

Or Sticky's eventual suicide…

Rancis found her less than an hour later, hanging in a closet. She had fashioned a noose out of bed sheets. The turquoise recolor racer left a hastily-scrawled note behind, addressing it to Swizzle.

"Dear Swizzle,

I knew all about the relationship you had with Torvald. I know you love us both. And I'm sorry that you'll have to lose us both now.

You killed my best friend, Swizzle. Even if it was an accident, you killed her.

We're not getting out of this place alive. Even if we did, I can't go on without Nougetsia. She was my best friend. And now she's gone.

I'm so sorry, Swizzle. I can't do this. Please don't blame yourself. I'll always love you.

Please stay alive. For me. For Torvald.

We'll both watch over you.

Goodbye.

With love, Sticky"

Swizzle broke down after that. Gloyd and Rancis led him away. Jubileena and Adorabeezle—both found in the kitchen cabinets on the first floor not along ago—pulled Sticky's body down, laying it on the floor of the closet. They blocked the door with a chair from a nearby desk, hoping that would deter Turbo from getting at the recolor's body.

Weirdly enough, Turbo never _did_ find Sticky's body. The chair had made a perfect guard for her.

.o.o.o.o.

"No, no, NOOOOO!"

Quite a number of the newly-unlocked racers went missing as of late. They were new, desperate to live, and rebellious. They didn't know Turbo like Vanellope did.

It didn't make finding their remains any less traumatic. They paid for their foolishness…with their lives…

.o.o.o.o.

"Why? Why is this happening to us?"

Adorabeezle Winterpop, Snowanna Rainbeau, and Minty Zaki were the next ones to go…

Turbo had changed tactics. He wasn't hunting them one by one, picking off stranglers, anymore. He was actively hunting them now, striking when they least expected it and taking any shots he could. The cybrid was surprisingly sneaky for something so big.

They were cornered in the basement. Rancis had found it during a daring search for an exit, finding a rope ladder that led to the outside. When he brought the other racers, they discovered Turbo there…waiting for them…shredded ladder in hand…

Vanellope was sure that was the end of it. They were all going to die. The entire group scattered in terror, racing to escape the death trap that had been set for them.

_I have to protect everyone_, she thought valiantly.

She never got the chance, thanks to Minty Zaki. The green-haired racer pounced, latching onto Turbo's long neck and yanking on the cords found there. The cybrid hissed, clawing angrily to get her off.

"Run, guys! Run!" Minty shrieked as she was swung to and fro by all the thrashing done by the cybrid.

Everyone bolted for the exit, aiming to get back upstairs and return to safer halls and rooms. Vanellope found herself following them, but her eyes were glued onto the gruesome scene behind her. Turbo, finally tearing Minty off, dropped the screaming racer straight into his mouth. The president looked away to avoid the horrible sight of Turbo crushing the other racer between his teeth.

Snowanna was waving everyone through the door leading upstairs. She and Vanellope met gazes briefly before Candlehead whizzed by, babbling something about Adorabeezle tripping. Everybody else was gone, having fled upstairs.

"I'll get her. We'll see you up there, 'kay?" the afro racer said, edging away from the door.

"Don't! You'll—"

Vanellope was silenced by a hand on the shoulder. Snowanna smiled. They both knew what was coming.

"Just get everybody else out of this creepy place, okay?" Snowanna said.

It wasn't a request. It was an order.

Vanellope could only dumbly nod, feeling like a baby. Snowanna smiled again, stepping away from the door. She waved the president in.

"See you 'round, Vanellope."

That was the last time Vanellope ever saw Snowanna alive.

The remains of Adorabeezle and Snowanna would later be found in the jail cell on that same floor. Vanellope would cry when nobody was near, keeping a brave face on when everyone was. She refused to break.

_I'll get everyone out of here…no matter what!_ Vanellope vowed.

But for how much longer could she take watching those she loved being slaughtered by a horrible cybrid from her past?

.o.o.o.o.

"How could we have let this happen to them?!"

Jubileena Bing-Bing and Candlehead were the next ones to go…

The moment Jubileena went missing under the pretense of going to the bathroom, Vanellope knew what had happened. She kicked herself in the butt as the group searched the first floor for the cherry-themed racer. They stayed in a huddle, too scared to stray.

_Why did you let her go by herself? You should've known better!_ Vanellope thought.

The kicker was that they actually found Jubileena alive. She had been tossed into a room. The worst injuries she had were a few deep scratches. Candlehead had been fast to race into the room to retrieve the redhead.

The door slammed shut behind her, followed closely by Candlehead's sudden scream.

It didn't matter what the racers did to the door. It wasn't opening. No amount of punching and kicking and slamming could make it budge. They couldn't get inside. They couldn't save Jubileena and Candlehead.

Vanellope had glitched into the room briefly, only to glitch back out at the sight of Turbo happily tearing into Candlehead. The cake-themed racer had valiantly tried to defend the dazed Jubileena from harm. Too bad Turbo was simply too big for such actions to do much to deter him. If anything, the flame on her hat was _drawing_ his attention…

The door remained locked since that attack, ensuring nobody could get to either racer's corpse. Candlehead's hat was later found in an empty room, forcing the remaining racers to reluctantly use it as a lantern once they got the candle lit. It was quite useful while they had it.

But the knowledge that even her glitching wasn't enough to save her peers was a sobering thought to the tiny president…

.o.o.o.o.

"This isn't fair! What did all of us even _do_ to him?!"

Out of the original racers, there were only five remaining. All four recolor racers were dead. All the newly unlocked racers were dead, the last one having died only moments ago from blood loss. It was just them—Vanellope, Taffyta, Rancis, Swizzle, and Gloyd. Nobody else had escaped from the ravenous cybrid that stalked them through the creepy mansion that they were trapped in.

Sadly, that number would now dwindle to just four racers.

.o.o.o.o.

"We're not going to make it out of here alive, are we?"

Gloyd Orangeboar was the next one to go…

It turned out that they _could_ go outside. There was a completely separate building nearby. Too bad the path there was lined on both sides by tall concrete walls. Even standing on each other's shoulders wasn't enough to get them over it. Vanellope refused to glitch through and leave the others behind.

She wasn't leaving without her friends. Not now. Not ever.

The second building was just as bad off as the first. The water ran black, there were holes in the floor, and the windows were all sealed. Not to mention the creepy-looking statues along the walls—big silver-armored knights with swords. It looked like they might come to life at anytime.

It was the holes in the floor that proved to be the most volatile aspect of this new building.

"You think anything's down there? Like a basement or something?" Gloyd asked, kneeling down by a big hole in the wooden floor as he tried to peer into the darkness.

"Who cares? At least we lost Turbo," Rancis said, wringing his hands nervously.

"There must be an exit. Somewhere! _Anywhere_!" Swizzle prayed, opening nearby doors in hope of discovering said exit.

Vanellope shook her head sadly. "Everyone, calm down. We don't know where Turbo is right now. He could be—"

"Don't say it! He can't be here! He can't!" Taffyta sobbed, mascara running from her eyes with her tears.

It all happened so fast that Vanellope wasn't sure how they never realized he was there. Swizzle had just opened a door, Rancis had moved to comfort Taffyta, and the president had stepped away to give the pair space. Gloyd had straightened up, turning to try and divert Swizzle's attention from the doors.

Then there was a clawed hand around the brunette's foot and Gloyd was yanked halfway into the hole, clawing at the wood in a desperate attempt to get free.

"Help! Help me!" Gloyd screamed.

Swizzle lunged. He was the closest one to the pumpkin-themed racer. Hands clamped around Gloyd's right hand and the front of his coat, trying to tear the other free. Vanellope grabbed Gloyd's other hand. Rancis and Taffyta screamed, clinging to each other in the background.

"Hang on!" Vanellope cried, tightening her grip.

She could see glowing yellow eyes watching them from the darkness below. A fanged mouth full of yellow teeth grinned up at her. Turbo gave a playful tug to Gloyd's leg, yanking the boy deeper into the hole.

"Vanellope! Don't let him take me!" Gloyd pleaded tearfully. "I don't want to die!"

"You won't! I won't let him!" Vanellope promised.

Turbo chuckled from the darkness. "That's one promise you _won't _be keeping, glitch. Supper time…"

Gloyd was yanked further down, dangling into the darkness. The only things holding him up were Vanellope and Swizzle. Neither racer was relinquishing their grip on Gloyd. Sadly, the brunette was slowly slipping out of their grip.

"Vanellope! Please!" Gloyd wailed.

"No," Vanellope choked as she lost her grip on him.

Swizzle clung to Gloyd's hand, leaning halfway into the hole himself. Fearing that Turbo might take them both, the president latched onto Swizzle's legs in the hopes of weighing him down. In the end, Swizzle gave a choked cry.

Gloyd was gone. All that remained was a heart-wrenching scream, following by cruel cackling.

Vanellope stared at that dark hole for a long time before Swizzle pulled her away, blinking tears from his eyes. Taffyta and Rancis kept their distance from the hole, suddenly eying the floor in terror. Swizzle seemed to take charge suddenly.

"Let's get upstairs. This floor isn't safe as long as _he_ is down there," the blue and green-clothed racer said firmly.

Taffyta and Rancis raced up a nearby staircase. Vanellope slowly followed after them, still in shock. Swizzle stayed behind briefly, glaring at the hole before he headed upstairs.

That glare had sealed Swizzle's fate, as far as Turbo was concerned.

.o.o.o.o.

"Oh my mod, we're going to die and nobody will know where we are and we'll be dead and it'll hurt and we won't come back and OH MY MOD, WE'RE GOING TO **DIE**!"

Swizzle Malarkey was the next one to go…

It turns out there was a massive jail cell in the basement of the new building, far bigger than the one in the basement of the first building. Taffyta and Rancis stayed outside of the cell, refusing to go in. Vanellope didn't blame them.

If anything, the pair was _smart_ not to go in.

There was a key on the small table at the far end of the cell. Swizzle and Vanellope ran for it, the president grabbing it before whirling around. By then, Taffyta had already started screaming.

Turbo dropped down from the cell's ceiling, blocking their exit. The cybrid grinned toothily as he hunkered down, ensuring Vanellope and Swizzle couldn't run between his legs to freedom. The horrible stench of blood was on his breath, suffocating them instantly.

"About time I got to find out what _glitch_ tasted like!" Turbo chuckled, licking his yellow teeth with a long, serpentine pink tongue. "Turbo-tastic!"

"Run, Vanellope! Take the key and go!" Swizzle barked, backing up a step.

"No way! I'm not leaving you!" Vanellope argued, glaring at the green-haired racer. "I'm not leaving anyone else behi—"

"JUST GO ALREADY!" Swizzle shouted.

Vanellope backed up, scared. She'd never seen Swizzle so mad before. Even Rancis and Taffyta quit screaming upon hearing his yell. Turbo backed up a step too, just a surprised as them.

"He took Sticky from me by eating Nougetsia," Swizzle shakily said, tears stinging his eyes. "I have to avenge her… No! I have to avenge _both_ of them! And I'm _not_ letting you get dragged down with me! Now **GO**!"

"Vanellope, come on!" Taffyta shrieked.

"Let's get out of here!" Rancis cried.

"Swizzle…" Vanellope whispered, tearing up. "I… No! I can't…"

"Yes," Swizzle grabbed her hands in his. "Yes, you can. You have to get Taffyta and Rancis out. Don't let our deaths be in vain."

"But I…" Vanellope choked, the words coming out in a sob.

Swizzle wiped the tears away, smiling softly. "Just live, okay?"

"But…" Vanellope scrubbed the tears away.

The pint-sized president didn't get to say anything else. Swizzle suddenly shoved her aside, jumping the opposite direction. One of Turbo's clawed hands smashed onto the floor between them, the wooden boards breaking beneath the weight. The cybrid growled, twisting to glare at Swizzle.

"I've had _enough_ of you, Malarkey! Time to end your sass here and now!" Turbo hissed, teeth bared.

"Run, Vanellope! Take Taffyta and Rancis and get out of here!" Swizzle shouted, backing himself into a corner. "Go! Now!"

"Come on!" Taffyta cried.

"Vanellope, move it! Let's go!" Rancis yelled.

Vanellope saw no other choice. She bolted for the cell door, leaping over one of Turbo's tails in the process. Taffyta threw her arms around her when the president got out, Rancis slamming the cell door shut behind her.

"Let's get out of here!" Rancis encouraged, bolting down the hall and up the stairs.

Taffyta dragged Vanellope along behind her. The raven-haired girl dared to look back one last time.

She wished she hadn't…

Turbo had snatched Swizzle up between his clawed hands, crushing the racer. Swizzle coughed, glaring weakly up at the cybrid. Turbo was growling something, but only one specific bit reached Vanellope's ears.

"I've been craving _lollipops_ lately…"

The last thing she saw was Turbo leaning down, teeth set around Swizzle's head. The racer was crying, kicking out weakly to get free. He met Vanellope's gaze briefly.

Then Turbo's teeth snapped shut over Swizzle's head…

The trio made it up the stairs in relative safety. Once they got to a room, Vanellope proceeded to crawl to a corner and throw up. Taffyta and Rancis gave the president her space, comforting each other over the loss of yet another friend.

Vanellope couldn't believe how undeniably cruel Turbo could be to them.

.o.o.o.o.

"I'm so sorry! How could I have failed to save even a single one of you? _How_?!"

Taffyta Muttonfudge was the next one to go…

During a crazed chase upstairs, Vanellope and Taffyta had gotten separated from Rancis. Turbo had lost sight of all three of them and seemed to vanish for the time being. That left the two girls to desperately search for the wayward Rancis. If they didn't find him soon…Turbo might.

It had only been a few seconds between when the girls parted ways to check rooms. Vanellope had barely entered the room when Taffyta screamed next door. The president had never glitched so fast in her life, frantically trying to get to Taffyta before…

Turbo wasn't the reason she had screamed.

Rancis was…and not in a good oops-I-scared-you kind of way.

Taffyta was curled up against the far wall, clutching her stomach. Blood gushed from the injury, staining her clothes and the floor scarlet. Taffyta was sobbing, blood bubbling from her lips.

"What happened?" Vanellope cried, dashing toward her.

"I… I…" Rancis stuttered.

Then Vanellope saw it—the mirror shard. Rancis had the sharp-looking weapon in his hand. It was coated in blood.

"I didn't… I thought…" Rancis couldn't talk properly, shaking as he looked at Taffyta. "I… I couldn't…"

"Rancis, _help me_!" Vanellope shouted, pressing her hands against the wound. "You're gonna be okay, Taffyta! You're gonna be okay, I promise!"

"I…" Rancis dropped the mirror shard, lunging forward to help. He tore his jacket off, struggling to tie it over the injury. "Taffyta, I… I'm so sorry! I thought…"

"You…didn't…mean it," Taffyta shakily said, blood running down her chin. "I…should've said…something…"

"I'm so sorry! Please, Taffyta, you can't…" Tears ran down Rancis' cheeks. "…You can't die. You can't, Taffyta, you can't! I…"

"…Sorry…" Taffyta choked, giving them a small smile. "All I've done…is scream and cry…this whole time… I never…really helped… I'm sorry…"

"No! It's okay!" Vanellope argued. "You did great! Just hang in there! The exit's gotta be around here somewh—"

"There…isn't one…is there?" Taffyta said softly, head lowered to hide her tears. "There was…never…an exit…"

"No! There's gotta be one! There has to be!" Vanellope shouted, shaking her head. "There can't just_ not_ be an exit! We got in, right? There _has_ to be a way out!"

"If…there is…we'll never…find it…" Taffyta said sadly. "We…should've never…come here…"

"…I know," Vanellope said, choking as tears welled up. "I'm so sorry. I've been a horrible president. I've let everyone die…"

"You did…what you could…" Taffyta argued weakly, glaring at her. "Don't you…_dare_…give up! You…get out of here… _Both_ of you… Got it?"

"Not without you! You'll be okay, really!" Rancis declared, clutching her hands in his please. "You've gotta be okay, Taffyta. You gotta… Please, be okay…" The tears overflowed. "…Please, Taffyta, _please_…"

"Sorry…Rancis…" Taffyta apologized, smiling softly. "You'll have…to keep the…president safe…on your own…"

"…Please, don't die," Rancis whispered, resting his head on her shoulder. "…I love you."

Taffyta managed a short chuckle. "Dummy… I already…knew that…"

"Please don't die, Taffyta. Come with us. Please," Rancis pleaded, pulling away and looking her in the eyes. "Please…"

"…Sorry…" Taffyta said, looking away. "This is…the end…for me…"

Taffyta died shortly afterward from her wound. Vanellope took the mirror shard, despite her reluctance to touch it. They might need it if Turbo attacked. Rancis refused to touch it, afraid he'd hurt the president if he did. They hid Taffyta's body in a closet and moved on from the area.

_How could I have failed so horribly?_ Vanellope wondered numbly.

.o.o.o.o.

"What did I do wrong? Why me?"

Rancis Fluggerbutter was the next one to go…

They had only just left Taffyta's body behind when Turbo finally found them again. The monstrous cybrid chased them all the way back to the first building and into the basement entrance when Vanellope found something—the wallpaper was darker in one area. While Turbo battered against the meager barricade she and Rancis set up, Vanellope began to rip away at the wallpaper with the bloodied mirror shard. She was shocked at what she found.

A hidden door...

Just as she reached out to open it, the cabinet blocking the door was thrown back a couple dozen feet to shatter against the far wall. Turbo stalked through, enraged beyond belief. Vanellope screamed, yanking the door open and dashing inside.

"Rancis, in here! Hurry!" she cried.

Rancis made to follow, only for one of Turbo's tails to crash into the ground in front of him. The blonde was forced to retreat, giving the cybrid room to get between the pair of racers. Vanellope screamed, stabbing at Turbo's other tail in the hopes of stopping him from targeting Rancis. The cybrid snorted in annoyance, the tail whipping her backward into the room she had just opened.

"I'll get to you in a second, _glitch_. Just be patient," Turbo growled.

"Ran…cis…" Vanellope squeaked, curling into a ball to defend her bruised stomach. She felt tears build up in her eyes. "No…"

"Get going, Vanellope! If that's the exit, you have to take it!" Rancis shouted, his voice wavering between bravery and absolute terror. "I'll be after you in a sec, okay? Just go!"

_No!_ Vanellope thought. _If I leave…you'll die! I can't! I can't lose ALL of you! I promised to protect you!_

A loud scream tore her from her thoughts. Dragging herself upright, she gave a cry when she saw Rancis collapse against the wall. His chest was heavily clawed, a waterfall of blood coating his front and the floor beneath him. The blonde slid to the floor, gasping and wheezing for breath.

"Get…out of here…" he said shakily, looking up at Vanellope.

Turbo snorted, dragging the boy up by the shredded remains of his shirt. "Been nice knowing you…_not_!"

Vanellope turned away when Turbo dropped the boy into his waiting jaws…and saw staircase nearby. She headed for it, taking the steps three at a time in an effort to get as far away from Turbo as possible. She could hear wood splintering and claws scraping as Turbo fought to get through the tiny doorway.

Once she hit the landing below, there was another door. Going through it, she found herself in another room…with a large grandfather clock. There were no other doors in the room. No windows either.

Closing the door behind her, she slid to the ground and began to cry.

.o.o.o.o.

Vanellope wasn't sure how long she had cried for. Turbo hadn't reached her yet, though. She could still hear him clawing and snarling up above her somewhere, no doubt still tearing away at the door. It was only a matter of time before he finally reached her.

Then she'd be dead, too.

His final victim in this cruel place…

"…Take us back," she sobbed. "I wish I could take us back! I wish I could save everyone! I wish we never came here!"

The grandfather clock began to glow.

Vanellope looked up, gasping. The whole room was lit up with a blue-white glow. Numbers from 1 to 12 emerged from the grandfather clock, circling around the raven-haired racer. She backed up until the numbers fell to the ground, forming a clock face on the floor.

**Return to the beginning?**

"The beginning?" Vanellope repeated, confused.

Loud crashes from above made her jump. Turbo had torn the door down. He was coming down the stairs!

"Return to the beginning…" Vanellope whispered. _What could that mean? Wait! Go back to the beginning? Does that mean before we got here? Yes!_

Something battered the door of the room. Turbo was here!

"Return to the beginning! Take us back!" Vanellope shouted.

**Return to the beginning?**

"Yes! Take us back! Take us all back!" Vanellope yelled.

Turbo had just knocked the door down and had begun to lunge, claws extended and teeth bared…when everything froze.

Time had stopped…

The numbers rose from the floor, spinning counter-clockwise. The grandfather clock boomed loudly, the arms spinning backward. The room suddenly disappeared, taking Turbo with it. Rooms flashed by throughout the two buildings until it suddenly stopped right in front of the mansion's entrance door. Vanellope's feet hit the ground, nearly causing her to fall to the floor in surprise.

"Vanellope? Are you okay?"

The president snapped her head up. Taffyta looked down at her, looking a bit concerned. So was everybody else.

_They're alive,_ she realized. _Everybody's alive! Everything's okay!_

Then she looked around. They were in the entryway of the mansion. Whirling around, she jiggled the knob of the front door. It didn't give. The door was locked…just like it was before.

_No… No, no, no, no, no! Not again!_ Vanellope thought, tears welling up. _I thought we could go back to before we came here! Will I have to see everyone die all over again?_

An all-too-familiar roar sounded. The other racers screamed, scattering. Vanellope bolted as well, trying to keep everybody in sight.

This time, though, she was armed with past knowledge. She knew where everyone was. She knew where Turbo would attack them at. Maybe she could stop it. Maybe she could get back home with everyone. Maybe she wouldn't have to watch everyone die again.

_Maybe I can actually protect them this time,_ she thought.

The second cycle had begun…


End file.
